KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Another day, another advancement on a watch list for Tennessee’s Rennia Davis.
The senior forward is among 39 at the midseason stage for the “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the 2020 Wade Trophy after the WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Selection Committee announced six additional student-athletes for the list on Wednesday.
Joining the preseason list of 33 Wade Trophy hopefuls are Kierstan Bell of Florida Gulf Coast, Grace Berger of Indiana, Dyasia Fair of Buffalo, Anastasia Hayes of Middle Tennessee, Haley Jones of Stanford, and Natasha Mack of Oklahoma State.
The Wade Trophy — now in its 44th year — is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
Davis, a 6-foot-2 senior guard/forward from Jacksonville, Fla., is averaging 14.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. In SEC play, Davis is putting up 17.1 ppg. and 9.7 rpg. while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 81.0 from the charity stripe. Versus four ranked foes, Davis is even better, averaging a double-double of 17.8 ppg. and 13.8 rpg. while hitting 50.8 percent and 83.3 percent, respectively.
Davis is well on her way to becoming one of only five players who rank in the top 10 in both career scoring and rebounding average at UT, standing 10th (14.8) and sixth (8.0), respectively. The others are Patricia Roberts, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings. Davis also is in the process of becoming only the 13th UT woman to average double figures in scoring all four years of her career.
Through 15 games this season, Davis leads the team with six double-doubles and has 35 for her career to tie for fifth all-time at Tennessee. She has scored 20+ points on three occasions as a senior, tallying 16 such games during her career to stack up seventh in program annals. Davis also pulled down 20 rebounds vs. No. 12/12 Kentucky on Jan. 24, becoming only the eighth Lady Vol to do that and tying for the fifth-highest total in UT history.
Davis has led No. 16 Tennessee to a 12-3 overall record this season with three victories over teams ranked in the top 15. The Lady Vols currently stand one game out of the lead in the SEC standings at 6-1.
The WBCA will announce the four finalists for the honor in mid-March. The winner of the 2021 Wade Trophy will be announced in April.
-UT Athletics
